The aerial pictures included were taken by Jim and Chris Thom on Feb 20, 2007 during a flight from Hastings, Nebraska.  They show the Kansas portion of the Republican River Basin.  The flight took us as over Harlan Reservoir and southwest along Prairie Dog Creek and Sappa Creek west and south to Oberlin Kansas.  The flight lasted a little over 2 hours and opened our eye to the incredible water holding capabilities of the conservation projects that help limit flooding and soil erosion, mainly terraces and dams.

             The standing water in the photos below are from the very destructive December 2006 ice and snow storms that left several inches of ice and up to 38 inches of heavy wet snow through Eastern Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.  Terraces and small dams through out the Republican River Basin are helping to limit flooding in the area.  However, they are also restricting the amount of water allowed to flow down the Republican River and in to Kansas.  Nebraska is currently in a dispute with Kansas over water that flows down the Republican River.  Kansas is claiming that Nebraska is over using its fair share.  Nebraska has undergone drastic measures to send water down the Republican River to Kansas.  However, because of the incredible changes made by terracing and dams in pasture and farm ground throughout the basin in Kansas this has become impossible.

             These pictures taken in Northwestern Kansas show the incredible holding capacity of these manmade structures.  Most of these structures were developed in the last 30-40 years.  The 1985 farm bill required terracing on highly erodible ground.  The natural flow of water from Colorado and Kansas into Nebraska is being restricted by these structures making it impossible for the water to flow to Kansas. These structures have greatly improved the land.  The side effects of restricting water flow out of Kansas must also be recognized.

 The water stored in terraces and pasture dams from this one moisture event in the Kansas portion of the Republican River Basin has been estimated at well over ½ million acre feet.  This is water that will never flow in to Nebraska and therefore cannot flow back to Kansas.

             The only way to truly appreciate the size and scope of this manmade phenomenon is to see with your own eyes from the air.